Rise from a Poor Family: My Martial Arts Counterattack

Chapter 5 Young People Should Set Lofty Aspirations

Lin.

Lin Chen's own little home

It’s ten feet away from the old house.

Father Lin did not go home, but went directly to the village chief's house and asked the village chief to write the documents for dividing the family property.

"Chen'er, just go to the martial arts hall and learn martial arts. I will find a way to help you with the money issue."

Lin's mother went into the inner room and came out with a cloth bag after a while. There was some silver change in it, which weighed more than two taels when poured onto the table.

"Mom, where did you get this money?" Lin Liang was very curious.

"Silly child, although all our family's money has been given to your grandfather, mother has to save some privately. Your grandfather is biased. If our family encounters any problems, it would be a dream to expect your grandfather to give money. It's not just mother, your second mother is the same."

The three brothers of Lin's father handed over whatever they earned, but the three sisters-in-law were cautious.

Lin's mother and Er Niang are the same. They will hide some money secretly. It is impossible that there is not a penny left at home.

"Chen'er, don't blame me for not giving you money in the past six months. Learning martial arts is indeed very expensive. You have seen how much money your eldest cousin spent on learning martial arts. I am also afraid."

"Mother, I understand."

When Lin Chen saw his mother's guilty expression, he quickly shook his head. He would not blame his mother because he could understand her thoughts.

Lin Ming spent too much money on learning martial arts. The savings earned by the entire Lin family over the years were not enough for Lin Ming to spend alone. Although his mother felt sorry for him, she also had to consider the situation at home. She couldn't let the whole family starve just to let him learn martial arts.

"Mom knows that Liang'er will give you some money every time he goes to town, but Liang'er can save a little money by secretly selling fish. Even so, you can pass the test. Then mom will support you to learn martial arts. You will definitely have a better future than Lin Ming."

"Two taels of silver is not much, you can take it to the martial arts hall and use it first. Now that the family has been divided, your father and elder brother don't have to hand in the money they earn from selling fish. You can save one tael of silver a month, and I'll give it to you when the time comes."

Lin's mother was originally worried that learning martial arts would cost too much, but her son passed the test with only that much money, so she would support her son in learning martial arts even if she had to sell everything she had.

She wanted to let her grandfather and uncle's family see who was the Lin family's most talented child.

"I will be frugal in the martial arts hall, and I will definitely learn something great."

Lin Chen made the promise seriously. He knew his mother said this to reassure him. With his grandfather's partiality, the family's only fishing boat would definitely not be given to them. Without the fishing boat, they could not go out to fish in the lake. Casting traps was completely dependent on the weather, and one or two taels of silver were not easy to earn.

"Silly boy, how can I not believe you?" Seeing Lin Chen's serious expression, Lin's mother smiled and said, "You are my son. Since you want to learn martial arts, I will do my best to support you, but I will make your elder brother suffer."

"Mom, I support Brother Chen's martial arts training. It doesn't matter whether it's hard or not. It's better to spend money on Brother Chen than on Lin Ming."

The eldest brother Lin Liang smiled naively. When Lin Chen saw his eldest brother's naive smile, he thought of the thick phlegm that his eldest brother spat out at the ancestral home. Given his eldest brother's honest character, he could do such a thing. One can imagine how much hatred he had in his heart at that time.

"You two brothers should help each other. Liang'er is helping you now, and Chen'er, you should remember your elder brother's kindness in the future."

"Mom, no need."

The eldest brother Lin Liang waved his hand quickly, but Lin Chen laughed and said, "Yes, I will find a wife for you when I become successful in martial arts."

Mother Lin said with a smile: "If your eldest brother wants to marry, then it can only be Erya from the Chen family. I think your eldest brother is interested in her."

"Mom, no way." The eldest brother blushed slightly.

"Not yet. Mom saw you giving lotus seeds to others."

"That... that's not her lotus pond. I helped her pick lotus seeds, and she promised to give me a few."

"Is there such a thing? I think Erya is a good person and can be a good wife to my eldest brother." Lin Chen recalled Erya of the Chen family in his mind, who was a little plump.

It’s better to be a little fat, as a big butt can help you give birth and also make you healthy.

The mother and her two sons talked for a while before Lin's father hurried back.

"What did you say? I saw the boss's face was as red as a carp."

Father Lin was very curious. He was furious in the ancestral home just now, but now he was telling a joke.

"Dad, Mom and I are talking about finding a wife for my eldest brother."

"Big brother wants to get married?" Father Lin was stunned and asked. "Dad, don't listen to brother Chen. I haven't planned to get married yet. I'm going back to my room to sleep first."

The eldest brother Lin Liang fled in a hurry. Father Lin looked at Lin Chen and said, "Chen'er, you still have to go to the martial arts hall tomorrow. Go to bed early."

"Ah."

Lin Chen knew that his parents had something to discuss in private, so he got up and went into his and his elder brother's room. The two brothers slept in the same room, each with a wooden bed.

Lying on the bed, Lin Chen could vaguely hear his parents talking, but he couldn't make out the specific words.

Even though he couldn't hear clearly what was being said, he could guess that his parents were probably discussing how to raise money for him to learn martial arts.

He is not selfish. He still learned martial arts when his family was poor.

This is his only chance.

If he had traveled through time a few years earlier, he could have found a way to make money to improve his family's life, but he had just turned fifteen when he traveled through time, and he would have had no chance if he had traveled a year later.

Even if he really made a lot of money in a few years and could spend money to learn martial arts, martial artists who did not come from a martial arts school could only be bodyguards for wealthy families, or go to the county to join gangs and work as thugs for those gangs.

After experiencing his previous life, Lin Chen clearly understood which path was the right one.

As for making money quickly in a short period of time, he thought about it, but ultimately failed to find a way.

Useless is a scholar.

In my previous life, I was a liberal arts student with average grades in physics and chemistry, and I had no technical skills to make money.

I do remember some time-travel novels mentioning that there is saltpeter in toilets and pig pens, which can be used to make ice.

He did find some saltpeter, but the amount of ice he could make was very small. It is no exaggeration to say that if you went to the surface of Poyang Lake in winter to chisel a piece of ice, the amount left unmelted by the next spring would be more than what he had made.

There is no way to make money through technology, you can only use your brain.

Rely on the knowledge gained from previous lives to see if there are any business opportunities.

But after he learned about the laws of Daliang, he found that this path was also not feasible.

The laws of Daliang were very strict in regulating the occupations of the people.

If you want to do business, you must have a business license, because the government levies different taxes based on different nationalities. Without a license, you are operating without a license, which is a serious crime.

Blacksmith shops pay forging taxes, fish shops pay fish taxes, and fishing boats have to pay fishing boat taxes. The only thing that is not restricted is farming. No matter what industry you are in, you can farm.

Due to various restrictions and age reasons, he had no other choice but to learn martial arts.

Having come this far and experienced today’s changes.

Learning martial arts is no longer just his own business.

He not only wants to change his own destiny, but also the destiny of his family.

That night, Lin Chen suffered from insomnia, which was rare.

And it's not just him who suffers from insomnia, his elder brother too.

Although the eldest brother was lying on the bed without moving, he used to snore when he slept, but he didn't snore today. Lin Chen knew that his eldest brother was pretending to sleep.

Something unexpected happened at home today, so it's normal that my brother couldn't sleep.

I don’t know how much time had passed before Lin Chen heard his elder brother’s voice.

"Brother Chen, are you asleep?"

"No."

Lin Chen's instant reply made the eldest brother Lin Liang silent for a few breaths.

"Brother Chen, practice martial arts well and make a name for yourself to show to grandfather and the others!"

(End of this chapter)